Mormon records the words of Helaman to his sons Nephi and
Lehi. They used these words as they
departed on their mission. Helaman said,
“Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of
God…remember, remember, my sons…that there is no other way nor means whereby man
can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come;
yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world….And now, my sons, remember,
remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of
God, that ye must build your foundation.”
Helaman said that if Christ and his words are remembered deep down in
one’s soul that Satan could have no power.
Lehi and Nephi took this message first to the Nephites, going city to
city. Then they went to the Lamanites
converting thousands. Eventually they
travelled deep into the land of the Lamanites and were put into prison. Yet,
the prison became a temple. Mormon
records, “And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi were encircled about as if by
fire, even insomuch that they durst not lay their hands upon them for fear lest
they should be burned.” Of course the
Lamanites who witnessed this were struck with amazement. A voice was heard by the observers. It was a still small voice telling them to
repent. Darkness overshadowed them. The faces of Nephi and Lehi shone in the
darkness. A Nephite dissenter, Aminadab,
who was among the on-lookers, was asked what to do by the Lamanites. He said, “You must repent, and cry unto the
voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ….” Then the darkness dispersed and everyone was
encircled by fire, but it didn’t harm them.
The Holy Ghost came and entered their hearts. They heard the voice of the Father say, “Peace,
peace be unto you because of your faith in my Well Beloved….” Angels then came down out of heaven and
ministered to them. There were three
hundred Lamanites there and they immediately went and spread the word about
their experiences to all of the rest of the Lamanites. Upon hearing about these things most of the
Lamanites were converted! What a turn of
events! There were now more righteous
Lamanites than there were righteous Nephites.
It’s easy to see that God blesses faithful missionaries who
preach repentance through Jesus Christ.
What’s beyond me is how he knows when and to whom to provide the types
of miracles that he did for the Lamanites at this time. They certainly didn’t deserve it because of
recent righteous behavior. Yet, those
fortunate three hundred who were there at the prison were, through God’s grace,
given access to sacred and life changing experiences. Certainly, thousands of faithful prayers had been
uttered on their behalf down through time, starting with Lehi, Nephi, Jacob,
Enos, Mosiah, King Benjamin, and many others.
The arithmetic of grace is not something I can understand. But I know that God knows what he is
doing. He loves us and will bless us in
his own time and in his own way. I love
him! I am grateful for him. I am grateful for my loving wife and
children. I love them! I am grateful for
my grandchildren. I love them!
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